


An Easy Embrace

by bitchslaplouis



Category: Lunar Chronicles - Marissa Meyer
Genre: F/M, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-15
Updated: 2020-04-15
Packaged: 2021-03-01 18:20:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,340
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23671474
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bitchslaplouis/pseuds/bitchslaplouis
Summary: In between the end of Winter and Scarlet and Wolf's wedding, take a sneak peak of life at the New Beijing Palace.
Relationships: Kai/Linh Cinder, Kaider - Relationship
Comments: 2
Kudos: 67





	An Easy Embrace

For the third time this month, Kai was woken by the sound of metal clattering against metal.  
“Cinder,” he groaned, rolling over and pressing his face into the pillow. But the noise went on; she probably couldn’t hear him over the sounds of banging. Not to mention her intense concentration when she started a project. But why had she started something at three in the morning?  
Sighing dramatically, he slid out of bed, the air cold against his bare chest. He shuffled blearily across the room to where she sat, her back to him, bent over the built in fan unit. Well, it had been built into the wall. Cinder had removed it and completely disassembled it. There were parts scattered around her, tools in easy reach, and her hair was pulled into a sloppy ponytail. He stepped closer, picking his way through her mess, until he was close enough to place a hand on her shoulder.  
She jumped, muffling a small shriek, her hand whipping around and catching his arm. Shaking her head, she registered Kai’s presence and blinked rapidly. Kai had always thought of that look, her face lit with surprise and her eyelids going a mile a minute, as her version of blushing.  
“What are you doing up?” she asked, twirling her screwdriver around in her hands.  
“What are you doing to the fan?” he countered, gesturing to the mess around them. They were technically in Cinder’s rooms; she had a suite in the wing of the palace for visiting dignitaries. He’d tried to convince her to move into his rooms but she’d resisted, saying that it was weird, that they were just dating, that she wasn’t ready for that. He understood but there was a part of him that wanted her as close as possible at all times. When she was with him, he could see that she was safe.  
But they spent most nights together. If she didn’t come to his rooms, he made the trek down to hers. Half the time, she was busy working on some project or another at her work desk and he’d crawl into bed alone, knowing she’d join him. Eventually.  
“It was rattling,” she explained. She had a smear of grease or something on her forehead. He reached out and rubbed it off, still marveling that he could touch her so easily, that she was here. She smiled, her eyes darting to his chest. She had seen him shirtless more times than she could count (although for a while, her brain interface did try to count), but it still made her feel like blushing. Another time that she was glad she couldn’t.  
“Cinder,” he said, trying to sound as patient through his sleepiness as he could. “It’s three in the morning. I think the fan could wait.” She avoided eye contact and realization dawned on him. “How bad was it this time?” he asked, sitting down on the floor next to her.  
She sighed, tightening her ponytail and brushing her hands off. “It was about Lake Artemisia.” Kai reached out and laced his fingers through hers, clasping both her hands. She watched for the flinch, the slight draw back as his warm hands hit her cold metal one but he didn’t react. She still had trouble believing that he truly didn’t care about her cyborg parts.  
“I have nightmares about that too,” he admitted, bringing her hands up to his face, pressing a kiss to her right hand, then her left.  
“You do?” she asked, surprised. He had held her through months of nightmares, from the old ones about the fire, to newer more recent ones, about Maha Kesley’s death, to the jump into Lake Artemisia, to the bloodbath on the palace steps, even the moment when she killed Levana. The war was burned into her, her interface recording every second of it and storing it deep for her to relive all the horrors. And too many nights to count, she had woken in a panic, only for Kai to comfort her and ground her in the present. But all those nights, Kai had never mentioned his own nightmares.  
“I was powerless,” he said, idling playing with her hands. “There was nothing I could do to help you, to save you. That moment, when you jumped over the edge, I thought I lost everything.” He looked up at her, the ghosts of the past haunting his vision. She looked surprised; that reminder of how much he loved her, even then, warmed her and she scooted closer to him, brushing aside components until she was very nearly in his lap. She kissed him softly, their lips fitting together perfectly, her hands moving to rest on his shoulders.  
His hands slid down to her waist, lifting her into his lap, nestling her against him. She pulled back, smiling at him, and pressed a kiss to the edge of his jaw before resting her head against his shoulder.  
“Did you figure out why it was rattling?” he asked, keeping his voice light as he tried to calm his racing heartbeat. Just having her close felt like a gift.  
“Hm?” she said, tracing her fingers down his chest.  
“The fan.”  
“Oh,” she said, biting her lip. “I think so. But I still need to put it back together.” They glanced over the mess around them. Sighing, she stood, rolling her shoulders and neck to get out the kinks that had been bothering her for hours. Kai watched her, admiring her in her sleeping clothes, one of his old shirts and a pair of shorts. “Stop staring,” she said, smiling and swatting at him. He caught her hand and pressed a kiss to her open palm.  
“How long do you think it’ll take?” he asked, standing and stretching.  
“Not too long. It’s a fairly simple unit.” She stepped closer to him again, catching his mouth and kissing him again. It amazed her to be able to do this, almost whenever she wanted, just step up to him and kiss him. And oh, it was wonderful to kiss him. Cinder could feel him smiling against her mouth and smiled back, the cold memory of the waters of Lake Artemisia fading in her mind.  
When they broke the kiss, Kai tugged on her ponytail fondly and let her get back to work. He sat on the edge of the bed, reclining to watch. Her focus was unparalleled. The pieces around her slowly disappeared, returning back to their homes in the unit.  
It wasn’t long until he began to drift back to sleep. But he was woken again when Cinder slid the fan back into its home and it clicked on.  
“See?” she said, dusting her hands off on her legs. “No rattle.” He yawned, watching her as she stood, stretching, his eyes tracing the bare skin of her legs.  
“Mhm,” he murmured, his cheeks reddening as she caught his gaze on her. It really wasn’t fair, he thought to himself, that she couldn’t blush and he could. He slid over to her as she stepped up to bed, tugging her ponytail loose.  
“I should shower,” she said, her voice rough as his hands slid up her sides. He knelt on the bed, pressing a kiss to her shoulder.  
“Mhm…” his mouth moved to her neck, tracing his way up, leaving light kisses on her skin. She was warm, so warm, and he knew that she would be blushing if she could. She blinked rapidly, clearing the warnings behind her eyes about elevated heart rate and body temperature.  
“Or not,” she murmured, tilting her head back. Kai’s hands slid into her hair; he wished she would wear it down more, so he could run his hands through it like this, his fingers light on her.  
“What’s a little dirt going to hurt anyone?” he said. Cinder laughed, her throat vibrating under his mouth and with a small gasp, she let him pull her onto the bed, laying her on top of him and sliding into his embrace.


End file.
